Exploring the art scene in Curitiba

Art in Brazil has its roots in the blend of cultures that make up this colourful vibrant nation. Curitiba has always had a strong European influence. Portuguese, Italian, German, Ukrainian, Polish and of course a Brazilian influence can be found in the architecture, sculptures and art works throughout the city.

There are a number of different art galleries located in Curitiba, with contrasting themes of religious, contemporary, classical and traditional Brazilian art. Located in the Setor Historico, the Sacred Art Museum(church) is a popular choice showing different art forms used in different stages of Brazilian art. For modern art appreciation, both the Museum of Contemporary Art of Paraná and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MUMA) are worth seeing, filled with an appealing mixture of paintings, photographs, drawings and sculptures.

Oscar Niemeyer museum

However, it is the Museu Oscar Niemeyer that really steals the show, not only for its wealth of contemporary paintings, but also for its wacky eye-shaped architecture. Museu Oscar Niemeyer, has an interesting Itinerary at the moment. The public has the opportunity to get to know some of the art works confiscated in the Lava Jato operation. There are about 50 art works, from famous artists like Di Cavalcanti, Ibere Camargo, Cicero Dias, Amilcar de Castro, Salvador Dali, among others. A rare opportunity to see so many famous art works together! Until mid-april there is also the exhibition Genesis with Sebatião Salgado – an absolute must-see!

Mosaic wall by Poty Lazzarotto

There are also some very important Curitibano artists that should be mentioned: Arthur Nisio and Alfredo Andersen are two artists whose work can be seen at the Alfredo Andersen Museum in Rua Mateus Leme. They are landscape artists who depicted the Araucaria trees in many of their paintings. More recently, Calderari, Rogerio Dias, Cassio Melo, Belmiro Santos and Fernando Ikoma are artists from Curitiba Paraná that have contributed much of their experience and expertise to Brazilian art. And last but least, Poty Lazzarotto – his Mosaics can be found throughout the city.